Chapter 205: Specially Sealed True Lord

Zhong Kui wanders aimlessly, from day to night, and from night back to day.

No one can see his figure, and no underworld officials come to capture him. After an unknown amount of walking, a towering mountain appears before him, shaped like five fingers holding up the sky.

He looks up at the flowing Buddhist mantra on the mountain and mutters to himself:

"Have I reached the Five Elements Mountain...?"

He strides into the mountain, following a winding path.

At the foot of the mountain, a monkey with a sharp snout and drawn cheeks is pressed against the slope, its Golden Light eyes studying him as it grins, "Come quick, come quick! Good man, so bold!"

A person stands beside the monkey.

Zhong Kui freezes the moment he sees the person, then steps forward, his face forlorn, "Brother Yu, I..."

Yu Lin cuts him off, "No need to say more, I already know."

He pats Zhong Kui's shoulder, "Let's eat something first."

The three of them sit around.

Yu Lin pulls out several wild chickens and lights a fire to roast them slowly.

Fat drips into the fire with a sizzle, and the scent of spices drifts on the wind.

With white porridge and salted vegetables, Zhong Kui eats in silence, gulping down three chickens as if swallowing dates whole.

Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Zhong Kui looks at Yu Lin, "Brother Yu, I don't understand—why is the world everywhere so unjust?"

Before Yu Lin can answer, Sun Wukong laughs first, "Brother Zhong, the world is inherently unjust."

"Some are born into wealthy families, others spend their lives in hunger and cold."

"Take old me, Sun—people say I'm born holy, that the methods others cannot cultivate, I can master easily."

"To others, how unfair is that?"

"Speaking of good and evil..." the monkey's voice deepens, "Someone once told me that heaven and earth are like a scale, good and evil arise together."

"Where there is white, there is black; where there is light, there is shadow; when the Dao grows, demons fade; when demons fade, the Dao grows—this is the principle of Heavenly Path balance."

"If the world were entirely fair, where would the distinction between good and evil come from? If all things were equal, why practice virtue?"

"But if I may say..."

Sun Wukong's eyes flash with Golden Light, "Do your own part! When you see injustice, and that injustice bears down on you, then cause an upheaval—smash them with a single staff!"

He looks to the heavens and laughs, his gaze seeming to pierce layers of clouds, "My mistake was so great, being pressed here is deserved."

"But I never regret making a big ruckus!"

Zhong Kui remains silent, his whole being sinking into a profoundly mysterious state.

Yu Lin and Sun Wukong also say nothing, merely waiting in silence.

No one knows how many days and nights pass; the mountain mist gathers and disperses, the moon rises and sets repeatedly.

Suddenly, one day, Zhong Kui leaps to his feet!

One hand points to the sky, the other to the earth, his voice thundering, "Since life is unfair, after death people must be just!"

"I, Zhong Kui, swear—though myriad evil barriers block me, I will tear their livers and intestines! Though countless resentful fumes entangle me, I will burn their Souls!"

"All greedy, hateful ghosts shall be nailed to a Blade Mountain; all deceitful ghosts shall be cast into a Cauldron of oil; all brutal, mad ghosts shall have their limbs divided; all resentful, poisonous ghosts shall be ground into dust! The cold iron shall clang in the City of Wrongful Death, ghost blood shall splash on the Sin Mirror! The righteous may cross, the wicked have no escape—if they defy, their Souls shall vanish and their Spirits scatter! Ten thousand eons shall not return!"

As his words fade, thunder cracks across the sky!

A ghostly green portal materializes out of thin air, the underworld aura rushing toward them.

Zhong Kui feels something, and strides toward the portal.

Reaching the doorway he suddenly stops, turns, and bows three times respectfully toward Yu Lin and Sun Wukong.

After the bows, he resolutely steps into the underworld portal, his robes fluttering, displaying his determination.

Sun Wukong watches the gradually closing portal, Golden Light swirling in his eyes:

"Good, good! The more I watch, the happier I become..."

"Too bad he's trapped here; otherwise I'd really go see how he makes a big ruckus in the Underworld!"

Yu Lin turns his head toward him and smiles, "Great Sage, do you have a way to reach the Underworld?"

"I could certainly go take a look."

Sun Wukong's eyes brighten at the words, and he immediately plucks a strand of monkey hair, handing it to Yu Lin, "Brother Yu, hold this monkey hair; after leaving the Five Elements Mountain, recite a single 'Go'!"

"That will do."

Yu Lin takes the hair, nods, "Alright."

"Let's go."

He strides forward, and after leaving the Five Elements Mountain, he lightly shouts as instructed: "Go!"

The monkey hair instantly transforms into specks of Golden Light, enveloping him as he vanishes underground.

The scenery before his eyes shifts rapidly, mountains and rivers rewinding like flowing light, and in an instant he enters the underworld realm.

A chilling wind howls, ghostly flames flicker everywhere.

Beneath the Bridge of Helplessness, a river of blood surges; on the banks of the River of Forgetfulness, resentful souls wail.

From the eighteen layers of Hell come wailing cries, and the Blade Mountains and Sea of Fire are filled with punished evil spirits.

In front of the Judgment Hall, the Sin Mirror platform hangs high, reflecting the past and present lives of countless guilty souls.

Yu Lin hovers in the air, his robes rustling in the chilling wind.

His gaze pierces the layers of underworld mist, looking toward the Yama Hall—

Zhong Kui charges forward like a breaking bamboo shoot! Wherever he passes, underworld officials and ghost envoys crumble and scatter; no one can stand against his legion.

He treads the Yellow Springs, each step spawning a lotus; where he walks, resentment dissipates, the wronged souls of the City of Wrongful Death yield the path, and the light of the Sin Mirror guides him.

In but a moment, Zhong Kui bursts through the ten halls' heavy siege, reaching the Yama Treasure Hall directly!

At that very moment, the ten Yama Kings appear together!

The King Yama stepped forward, his black robe stirring without wind, his voice like the icy chill of the Nine Abyss:

"What petty troublemaker dares to cause trouble in the Underworld?!"

Zhong Kui stood tall, head held high, eyes blazing: "I am Zhong Kui, and I did not intend to cause trouble; it is only that the netherworld officials sought to forcibly drag me into reincarnation, so I had no choice but to act to meet you all—please forgive me."

Without waiting for the King Yama's reply, the Song Emperor glared, eyes wide open:

"Is the Underworld a place for you to run wild? You think you're that Sun...... Stop your insolence! First take punishment, then we'll talk."

He flicked his sleeve, and the netherworld chains lashed out like poisonous snakes toward Zhong Kui!

Just then——

The entire Hall of Yama fell suddenly silent.

Myriad ghost flames froze in place, the Yellow Spring ceased its flow, and even the light of the Karmic Mirror Platform stagnated.

A phantom slowly emerged from the void.

The newcomer wore a dark imperial robe, bore a twelve-beaded crown, his face obscured by netherworld qi, indistinct—only his pair of eyes shone like sun and moon together, illuminating the Nine Abyss.

"Greetings, Great Emperor!"

The Ten Halls of Yama all bowed in salute, even the most hot-tempered Song Emperor lowering his head and holding his breath.

The Fengdu Emperor's gaze fell upon Zhong Kui, his voice resonating like heaven and earth: "Zhong Kui has made a great vow, sworn to purge the Human World of evil spirits."

"I hereby appoint you as the Exorcism True Lord, granting you the office of Judge."

He lightly tapped his fingertip, a mystic seal sinking into Zhong Kui's brow: "This office is not bound by the Ten Halls; it holds the power to strike first and report later, solely tasked with judging evil spirits, devouring wicked influences, and being the supreme authority of this path."

Having spoken, the emperor's shadow faded, dissolving into the qi of the Heavenly Pillar Top Sky.

Only the lingering echo shook the hall: "May you uphold justice and integrity, and not betray this duty."

The Ten Halls of Yama looked at one another in silence, finally able only to accept.

"Since the Great Emperor has already bestowed this title upon you, I hope you will not disappoint his expectations, nor stray from your own great vow."

"Today's matter ends here."

As the words fell, the Ten Halls of Yama dispersed.

Only the many netherworld officials then all bowed to Zhong Kui, shouting in unison:

"We have seen the True Lord!"